Mario GT: ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race of Nürburgring
by 122 Generation
Summary: Unexpectedly, BMW Motorsport invites Luigi, Daisy, and the others to an intense 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in Germany. But, trouble, as well as neck-to-neck competition that will last from day to night and day again, arises when Bowser is on the move.
1. Mushroom Omelette to Motorsport

**Now for those who are interested, this is totally inspired by the actual running of the 24-hour race. I just had to mix it in with the Mario universe...**

**This event happens right after a Mario Kart tournament, namely the Special Cup Tour, so be prepared for an intense race in the future!**

* * *

_**Chapter one**_

**Mushroom Kingdom: 6:00 AM**

The sun began to dawn upon the Mushroom Kingdom. With clear skies and radiant rolling green hills, it was yet going to be another beautiful and typical day in the Kingdom.

The trees were a deep green and it was only 6 in the morning when the sun rose. As it was summertime, the land welcomed the warmth the sun brought on the grass, the flowers…

In a certain two-storey house lay Luigi on his comfortable bed, his signature green hat put aside near the front door. It had been three weeks since the competition for the Special Cup Tour in Mario Kart Racing. With a victory as second overall to Mario, and after two weeks of preparation and racing, he was exhausted.

He dreamed of that time when he stood on the podium where the silver Special Cup was passed into his hands. Even though he never came in first, it left him with something of a success.

**Mushroom Kingdom: 8:00 AM**

A few hours later, Luigi awoke to the bright sun rays that shined down through his window. Although exhausted, he slowly got up and went to eat his breakfast. The meal he prepared was a recipe sent from his friend Princess Daisy: a first-class style Mushroom omelette that only she knew about. To Luigi, it felt like a bit of an embarrassment for Daisy to show him such favour.

"Okay, Daisy…" Luigi muttered to himself. "Let's see how well your recipe tastes…"

But this was the first time that he had to prepare this recipe. He took out of his stock some Mushrooms, some onions, and some the biggest yet common eggs just at the border of the Mushroom Kingdom. Even though they were eggs, they looked like small boulders. He only needed to cook one and there would be more than enough for him.

He set the grill and put a frying pan over it. As quickly as possible, he cracked the egg open and added onions and Mushrooms. Secondly, he cooked it for minutes and added some black pepper to enhance the taste.

The egg was starting to solidify, and finally Luigi added some milk and flipped the egg he wanted to. After a metre high flame briefly erupted, he switched the grill off and landed the egg on a plate. Pouring himself a glass of orange juice, he brought his breakfast to the table and prepared to eat.

"First class style…" he said. "Doesn't look like much…"

Luigi picked up his fork and ate a bit of it, and the omelette was indeed as delicious as promised. But what Luigi wasn't satisfied with was that the flavour tasted just… too regular. But he decided against complaining and kept eating the tasty meal.

By the time he was halfway through his omelette and right after finishing his juice, a knock on the front door could be heard. He put his fork down and hastily went to grab his hat, which he clumsily put on his head in an effort to get to the door first.

"Hello…?" said the voice outside.

"Coming!" Luigi shouted, and then he opened the door in a flash. His jaw slightly dropped.

It was Princess Daisy. Luigi by instinct immediately straightened his hat and cleared his throat.

"Eh… good morning, Daisy," Luigi bowed. "What brings you here today?"

She rushed quickly to give him a hug, forcing his hat to tilt slightly again. When she had finally let go, Luigi re-straightened his hat again, giving her an annoyed stare.

"Oh, Luigi," she gave a flick of her hand suggesting 'Whatever.' "I thought you'd be interested if we could have some coffee in the city this morning."

Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Oh, well – it _is_ a nice day in the summer, isn't it?" Daisy said. "Why don't you take out your kart to Mushroom City? It'll be a nice day for a drive."

"Why not?" Luigi looked over his shoulder into his house. "Why don't you come in while I get my kart ready? It won't be long."

Daisy nodded. As Luigi walked away to his garage, Daisy took the liberty of looking around his house: it was tidy for sure. And at the kitchen table she could not help but notice a well-cooked half-eaten omelette on the table. When she saw the ingredients though, Daisy had an idea what Luigi was trying to cook. But the real giveaway was when she saw her own handwriting on a piece of paper; and she concluded instantly that this was Luigi's attempt to cook her first-class style Mushroom omelette.

_Let's see what you did wrong…_ she thought, and she began her five second analysis.

"Okay, Daisy! I'm ready," Luigi said while walking in, and saw Daisy cut a sample of his omelette and ate it. Luigi then smirked.

"So what went wrong?"

"Well," she said. "You're missing a few drops of lemon juice. AND did you remember to use a Life Shroom with it?"

By the silence Luigi was giving, Daisy laughed and clamped a hand on his shoulder.

"So you DIDN'T, huh?!" she laughed. "That's hilarious! You should've – should've read my instructions more closely! I better do the cooking next time!"

Luigi smiled. "But you never mentioned a Life Shroom in your recipe, did you know that? How _could_ have I known to use one if I never saw?"

Daisy snatched up the recipe and held it close to him.

"There, you see? Right next to the Mushrooms _in fine print and underlined_, how could you not see that? That was basic stuff!"

Luigi took the recipe from her and saw that Daisy was right. It was legible, at least, but the instructions were clearly written that he _did_ need a Life Shroom to complete the taste in full.

"Well, you know, I'm still tired from that hard fought victory in the Special Cup Tour," Luigi explained. "Second only to Mario. That reminds me; what place did you come in?"

"Sixth," she said. "But I'm disappointed that you couldn't read that part of the recipe. Besides, I underlined it in RED."

"How about this?" Luigi proposed. "The drinks are on me once we get to the city. It'll make up for my failure, okay?"

"Sure!" Daisy said with a grin. "I can already taste it!"

As Daisy went to ignite her kart, Luigi prepared to start his. They both took off for the highway at a relatively fair speed.

**Mushroom City: 10:30 AM**

Their karts, one green and one orange, were neatly parked on the side of the road just beside a small coffee shop on the corner of the block. While Luigi and Daisy would have been famous in the region for numerous reasons, they preferred to spare some time on their own. Fortunately, the citizens of Mushroom City were used to their presence, and carried about their own business.

The two friends were sitting outside in the sunlight with two cups of coffee and shared a muffin. Daisy took a slight advantage of Luigi's purchase and ordered an extra muffin for herself. Fortunately for Luigi, the overall cost was a mere 20 coins.

"I wonder what we'll do today," Daisy said.

"And why's that?" Luigi said back.

"Well, the Special Cup Tour was pretty much the highlight of the Mushroom Kingdom," Daisy said with a sigh. "Some shops are closed, and at least three malls have closed for renovation!"

Luigi gave this some thought, and came up with an answer after Daisy had finished.

"I suppose you wouldn't mind if we do a little friendly competition in our karts," he suggested. "Or, we could cruise around in karts or bikes."

The two of them, who both had a liking for racing, although Daisy had only the slightest depression from her sixth place finish at the Special Cup Tour, agreed to cruise to Princess Peach's Castle, which lay on the more rural parts of the kingdom.

"Okay, I'm done with my coffee," Daisy said. "Hey, while you're finishing yours, why don't I buy another muffin? There's no harm."

Luigi sighed and handed over a few coins to her, although he felt a bit happier that he could gift Daisy with something. She smiled at him and stood up to buy another muffin, and Luigi smiled warmly at her in response.

* * *

In the main street, there was a particular car that was driving through with several decals on it. One decal read '**The Ultimate Driving Experience'**, which raised some questions from local pedestrians, though a quarter of the local civilians didn't notice. The back of the car had a steel model number displaying '330i'.

* * *

**A/N: 'The Ultimate Driving Experience' is the slogan for BMW Canada, and not BMW of North America (which is the US).**

* * *

That car stopped at the side of the road near the coffee shop, but not near enough that the people at the coffee shop could see the car.

The back door opened, and a well-dressed man with black hair in a blue and black suit and steel rim glasses stepped out, with a briefcase.

He looked around to make sure he didn't attract too much attention, and confirming that the person at the coffee shop really was the one he was looking for, he walked to the shop.

"That's Luigi, for sure," he said to himself, and then his next thought was, _and that young woman… a girlfriend of his, perhaps, or maybe just a friend? No matter._

He continued to walk in the direction of the twosome, and hoped that he would leave with the hope of success he came for.

* * *

"Want a piece of my muffin, Luigi?"

"It's okay. I've had my fill of a Mushroom Omelette this morning."

"Oh, alright. I just didn't want to feel too guilty of spending your coins on this break."

"That's okay. I can always get more."

Daisy gave a smile of gratitude to him, and finished her muffin. Luigi got up and disposed of his cup into the trash and sat back down.

"I've been thinking, Luigi," Daisy began. "Maybe we should race to Peach's castle instead. You still have some hype from the Special Cup Tour?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," Luigi replied. He tipped his hat and reached out a hand for Daisy to get up, which Daisy did take.

"Excuse me for interrupting your date, but would you happen to be Luigi?" said a nearby voice.

The twosome stared at the voice. Right there was a fairly tall man dressed in a suit and glasses. Both Luigi and Daisy turned slightly pink at the mention of 'date', but the man was able to break the few moments of silence.

"My name is Michael Fong, could you give me a few moments of your time, please?" he said. "I've got a brief proposal for you, so I'm told of your racing skills."

Daisy glanced at Luigi, who nodded at her and they both sat down again, Michael did the same.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fong," Luigi extended his hand, in which Michael shook politely. "May I introduce my friend Princess Daisy?"

Daisy shook her hand with Michael's too, and then he cleared his throat.

"Well, I haven't fully introduced myself nor did I say why I'm here. Anyway, I am the general manager and assistant president of BMW Motorsport. You've heard of it, right?"

Both Luigi and Daisy stared at him, but immediately they displayed an emotion that showed they wanted to justify themselves.

**Downtown Mushroom City: 1:37 PM**

"I know about BMW," Luigi said. "Or Bayerische Motoren Werke, I think it's called. It's a car manufacturer in Germany. I've seen many of them on my touring trips, and I gotta say; they are fine cars and quite unique in taste."

In a conference centre in Mushroom City, Michael brought their lunch for them to eat in the previous hour. They figured it would be more logical to discuss his matters in private.

"Me too," Daisy agreed with Luigi. "I've known about BMW since they listed it in the newspapers here and I've seen several models. Ha, I've even driven one. But what's BMW Motorsport?"

Michael chuckled and put his briefcase on the table, without opening it. _How impressive it is that they were both thinking the same thing._

"BMW, Bavarian Motor Works in English, has a division called M; hence the name _Motorsport_. They specialise in taking stock BMW cars and tuning them to virtually making them race ready."

"Well, BMW M also participates in the racing world as well. Our signature car, the M3, is our lightest and most effective car out there yet, and we're still preparing to develop new ones. Sadly, we had to retire it. But it's spirit lives in the BMW Z4 GT3, where it's powered by the M3's engine."

He unlocked his briefcase and gave out pictures of an alpine white M3, and an alpine white Z4 to Luigi and Daisy ("Here's our latest," he said) in which they examined closely with genuine interest.

"Carbon top…" Daisy muttered and passed it to Luigi.

_Oh, I remember this car,_ he thought, looking at the M3.

After Luigi had finished looking at it, he turned his attention to Michael.

"Hey, Mr. Fong –"

"You can call me Michael," he interrupted. "I prefer not to be too formal to some extent."

"Okay, Michael," Luigi corrected casually. "Say, what events has BMW Motorsport participated or involved in? I'm sure there must be lots."

Michael reached into his briefcase and took out more photos and a file. He turned them to Luigi and Daisy again.

"The vingt-quatre heures du Mans, or should I say, the 24 Hours of Le Mans based in France, is one of our highest concentrated races we do annually. We stake a lot of commitment into that one race." (**NOTE: If you're not too fluent in French, the 'Mans' part is pronounced 'maw' and not 'mans', the s is silent**).

"24 hours?!" Daisy exclaimed. "How do drivers stay –" But Michael held up a hand for silence.

"We always have a team of at least four drivers to operate the car. But as I was saying, there were other races like the 1000 kilometres of Silverstone and the 6 Hours of Zhuhai which we normally do very well in our class. But it's fairly rare do we actually take an overall win against all the other classes."

"By 'classes'," Luigi asked. "Do you mean regulations?"

Michael took out a few more photos and explained at the same time. "Naturally in Le Mans races, American Le Mans Series and of course the 24 Hours, they divide up cars into Le Mans Prototypes and Grand Touring. Of course, it's not often we can beat an LMP; they're racing machines! Even so, our M3 had the stamina to survive the race, at least."

Daisy looked at the photo of a Peugeot LMP and compared it with the M3. The point was taken instantly, as the Peugeot had the aerodynamics to exceed the M3.

"I suppose you're not just here to show us pictures of race cars are you?" Luigi asked, although he had a hunch for Michael's answer.

"That's correct," Michael replied. "I've heard you have a sterling skill with racing since your finish at the Special Cup Tour, and I was hoping if you'd be interested to join us; Team BMW Motorsport, in a 24 hour race in Germany."

He gave a handout to Daisy, which read:

**Zurich 24h ADAC Nürburgring**

The 24h parts were in large red letters, and the logo beside it showed a hand, coloured light blue and black in the style of a checkered flag. The hand was gripping an analog stopwatch.

"_Another_ 24 hours?!" Daisy exclaimed. "That sounds exactly like Le Mans!"

"Pretty much," Michael nodded. "In southern Germany, there is a circuit called the Nürburgring. It has about 88 corners and 24 kilometres a lap. This circuit has nothing but legend written all over it: every section is dangerous combined with the fact you and the car need to survive day and night. 24 hours, and that's the kind of thrill the people want."

"The Nürburgring devotes its racing class only to Grand Touring, so there's no chance of any LMPs appearing in the race. And henceforth gives us an improved chance of winning the Nürburgring this year."

He took out a form and a pen. "So, Luigi, would you like to join the team? Actually, I'm thinking of inviting others from around this country to join the team too. I'll write letters to them tonight."

Before Luigi could say anything, Daisy jumped in. "Hey! No fair! Why is it only _Luigi_ who gets to enter?! Wouldn't it be fair if I could come with him, too? I can drive. And I'm telling you this, Michael, I placed sixth overall in the Special Cup Tour! Isn't that acceptable?"

"Princess Daisy," Michael scoffed. "I never said you couldn't come. I was only giving an open suggestion to Luigi. But if you're that optimistic on this race…"

Daisy was about to speak, but Luigi intervened first, saying, "Come on, Michael, I insist. I can trust that she's a really good driver. You've got to admit; a sixth place finish in the Special Cup Tour is a feat enough; especially when she was using a standard kart."

Michael grinned at the sight of their faces: Daisy's was a mix of embarrassment and delight and Luigi's was pink. He exhaled a breath between a laugh and pulled out a second form from his briefcase.

"These are application forms. When you've filled them, I'll be sending letters for others to join the team. When all that's done; you'll go through a bit of training, and then you'll qualify as Team BMW Motorsport drivers!"

The forms had the official BMW logo on top, followed by labels and name and residence… all the usual things. But the thing both Luigi and Daisy had trouble with was that the application requested a short half a page paragraph explaining why they chose to apply for Team BMW Motorsport.

"Michael," Luigi said. "How am I supposed to answer this question?"

"Build on something you like," he said back. "Think. Why, of all racing teams, did you pick BMW M? You don't have to include BMW, just something out of your own heart."

Daisy had a different mindset at that question. She simply wrote about: _my desire to become a better driver than I was in the Special Cup Tour. Even though I came in sixth…_ and _I also want to show my great friend Luigi my skills in motor sport too!_

**Mushroom City: 2:45 PM**

After a while, Luigi found a suitable answer to the question… _One reason I can say is, apart from being suggested by a member from the actual team, I want to participate in BMW M for the people who enjoy the race and those who race in it._

Michael took the applications and stood up. "Thanks for your time! I will ensure you'll get in. And since you two are nothing less than a couple, I think that'll benefit our racing time, too!"

"We're just friends –" Luigi started but Daisy nudged him.

"Kind words, Michael. Don't worry, we will make sure we'll get that finish at Nürburgring in first!"

She was the first to shake Michael's hand, and Luigi followed suit. Michael then piled everything into his briefcase and closed it afterward.

"I trust you can do as you say," Michael concluded. "I will send you a letter when I have finished gathering the team."

They took the elevator to the ground level of the conference centre where they parted ways. Michael walked over to his BMW 330i and entered the rear door and took off for the highway. This left Luigi and Daisy in a suspended position.

"You figure he'll get us in?" Luigi said.

"He really wanted us to, AND we've never done Grand Touring before," Daisy reasoned. "It should be a wonderful experience for us, as opposed to the Special Cup Tour."

"Yeah."

They walked away from the building to their parked karts. With lots of daylight, they decided to drive to Princess Peach's Castle at back as they previously agreed.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 8:17 PM**

In a temporary BMW-rented building, Michael Fong was now confident that, after counselling with BMW Motorsport presidents and managers, Luigi and Daisy would be two of the drivers for the team. Drivers aside, he still needed to assemble a pit stop crew as well.

Right now, in front of him, were applicants with completed forms ready to hand to him. Michael never thought that at such a late time did people start to apply to Team BMW Motorsport. But he needed a massive team to participate in the 24 hour race, he might as well work with what he has.

"You are…?" He said to the little character in front of him, who had something of a mushroom on top of his head. A helmet, maybe?

"Toad," he said, his voice high-pitched. "I've heard BMW M is in the country, and I think you'd want some help in races of yours. Could I apply for the role of tire catcher? What do they do?"

Michael opened a file and searched through for the description.

"In the pit crew, we have three essential roles. One of these three parts, like you said, is the tire catcher. They have the stamina to remove tires and carry them away efficiently from the car. Do you think you could manage?"

"Yeah, I can do that!" Toad said. "In fact, I have three friends of mine here, called Toad, who'd are also interested in the job too! I even have their application forms here on their behalf!"

Michael was speechless as Toad happily handed him three additional BMW Motorsport applications. After taking that in, he reached out to shake Toad's hand.

"I'm telling this to you and your friends; welcome to Team BMW Motorsport. I will send you guys letters eventually to date a meeting for the entire team."

"Thank you, Mr. Fong!" Toad said. "My friends and I will do our best! All for Team BMW M!"

Toad left the room with four applications in hand and a content smile on his face. Michael had a smile on his face too, and he wrote down neat notes on his file.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 8:39 PM**

Another character walked in a while later. Michael examined him closely: a Koopa.

"My name's Koops," said the Koopa. "I'm a local in this region. Say, I've noticed your three-part pit crew roles. Can I apply with my friends for the post of tire carrier? I promise I won't let you down."

Michael had half a cup of espresso sitting right next to his right hand. As he had been working in the dark for the past hour and possibly into the night, he needed all the focus he could get. He drank a decent sip and looked at the application in front of him.

"I could trust you with the job," Michael said. "But would you have the speed and efficiency – not to mention precision! – to do this? In the pit stop: precision will be the matter between victory and defeat at the end of those 24 hours."

Koops brought his friends in the room to discuss Michael's words of warning. But they immediately turned to face him.

"Speed and efficiency we can do," said Koops. "We can simply pop into our shells to bring the tire on it from a distance, and then we can bring the tire from our hands onto the car."

Michael was partly convinced by Koops' argument, but still had another warning.

"Could I trust you guys to put the tire on the car _precisely?_" he deeply emphasised the word. "If the tire isn't put on right; the car's wheel alignment may alter, and that will badly affect the driving! It could cost us an hour to climb back to a high rank."

The Koopas were silent. Koops spoke up at the last minute.

"With some thorough training, we'll manage," he assured.

After ten more minutes of discussion, Michael was satisfied with the Koopas' passion for the race and how promising their efficiency would be. Soon after that, Michael accepted Koops and his friends into Team BMW Motorsport.

"You won't regret this," Koops said. "I'll expect your letters soon!"

"I won't take too long," Michael assured. "Just long enough to finish every letter correctly."

He then shook hands with Koops, each Koopa and called for adjournment. They left with traces of excitement on their faces, and Michael took the fact that he got ten members into Team BMW Motorsport. Maybe, this might be BMW's year to win the Nürburgring; the first time in years.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 9:57 PM**

If anyone wasn't tired after nine hours of solid work into the night, Michael Fong was for certain one of them. Although he managed to get a major part of Team BMW Motorsport filled, there was still a number of positions needed to be filled. He had a list of people of the Mushroom Kingdom laid out beside him, and a computer with a blank page in front of him.

"More letters…" Michael yawned. "I've got to keep writing… but to whom?"

He glanced at the positions list: he still needed two more drivers to drive the race car for example, and this was followed by a need for four wheel gun carriers, someone to carry the fuel tank for the car, someone to power the pneumatic air jack to raise the car for changing tires…

The cup of espresso had been refilled by him at the coffee machine. He needed to focus, no matter how tiresome it was, and get the letters written to a select few of the Mushroom Kingdom…

He picked up the espresso and drank one mouthful of it. After that he put it down and laid one hand on the keyboard and the other on his pen and file.

_Think, who might be suitable for these positions?_

He began to write a few notes in his file and continued to think about more potential members…

* * *

**I could give you guesses who would be in charge of these positions, but I've already decided who they are. Let me know if you're interested to read about a 24-hour race! Actually, I'm a little scared to write about it myself!**


	2. Letter to a Shining Star

_**Chapter two**_

**Comet Observatory: 10:00 AM**

"You have one new letter in your inbox sent from the Mushroom Kingdom, ma'am. Shall I deliver it to you straight away?"

"No thank you, Luma. I will see to my inbox myself. I personally haven't been there for a while anyway. I little walk for me should do me some good."

Rosalina had been working on paperwork about solar constellations for several days in the library and her office. In fact, she had been so absorbed by her work that at one point she missed an internal conference within the Observatory.

"Very well, Rosalina. Take your time."

As Luma walked away, Rosalina got up and briefly stretched one arm up, and walked out of the library out into the grounds of the Observatory; where the area around it stretched out into nothing but endless space and countless numbers of stars. She only needed to walk a length around the centre of the area to reach the Fountain.

Only minutes later, she walked past the Observatory's core and into the Fountain.

"Luma, do you have the letter here?"

"Indeed, ma'am. The letter is levitating on top of the fountain's water. It has been waiting here for you for the past hour. I can't imagine who would have sent it," Luma said.

Rosalina took out and gave a casual flick of her wand and the letter was then extracted from the fountain, floating gently into Rosalina's hands. She took a moment to consider who from the Mushroom Kingdom might have taken the trouble to send a letter straight to the Observatory; people like Mario or Peach would be the most likely contacts.

But to her surprise, this letter had a logo on it; labelled **BMW Motorsport**. At once Rosalina knew that it involved some sort of racing, as she had recently completed and survived the Special Cup Tour. On the front of the envelope also read, 'For the attention of Rosalina. Comet Observatory.'

"What is it, Rosalina?" asked Luma.

"Um… I think I'll take this to my office," she said. "It looks something official to be dealt with. I know _for sure_ that it won't involve the Special Cup Tour again. That was painstaking."

"I hear you," Luma said. "I had to accompany you throughout all those races! We got hit with so many Red Shells –"

"Luma," Rosalina coaxed her Luma, but with a hint of warning.

"Uh… yeah! Right!"

She beamed a flight of stairs for instant access to her office. Luma continued to float by Rosalina's side as she walked up and up in the direction of the Observatory's upper level. Eventually, she walked into her office and sat down near her desk.

_BMW Motorsport… but really; what for? It's more about racing, perhaps,_ she thought. _I do wonder though: how did it get here?!_

She tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter that was addressed to her. She started to read through it with fairly genuine interest. As she read it, she mouth slightly parted in shock.

_Greetings, Rosalina,_

_It is with great pleasure that I, Michael Fong, General Manager and Assistant President of BMW M, am personally inviting you to participate as a driver in BMW Motorsport with welcome. You probably may have heard of it: we specialise in the world of Grand Touring racing with our prestigious M3 and the Z4, and have seen countless victories over decades of racing. Races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series are among our various participations._

_As we progress into the racing season this year; ADAC of Germany is hosting the most renowned race in the world; the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. I am visiting the Mushroom Kingdom on BMW M's behalf in the hope that drivers here may have the chance to participate in this legendary race this year, since I've heard of some talented drivers in kart racing and the Special Cup Tour._

_I've been told by some people and reading comments in Mario Kart that you are an amazing driver, and I hope by this you will join us, BMW Motorsport, in our survival of the 24 Hours. Of course, I am not forcing you, but I think this should be a wonderful experience for you to take part in such a cruel endurance of 24 hours. But you're not alone: I've already enlisted the help for half the team of Team BMW Motorsport. When the time comes, our partner Schubert Motorsport will represent us in the race, along with veteran team members in the other Z4._

_Please take this into consideration to helping Team BMW Motorsport as a driver: it is unarguably one of many positions the team depends on. Remember, no one is forcing you to sign in! If you do want to join; I've disclosed an application form for you to fill out. Mail this and the application back to the disclosed address, and I'll mail you back a date of meeting later. Rest assured: if you do choose to come, BMW Motorsport will supply your racing gear, so there's no need to bring your own._

_If you are anywhere suspicious as to how I got this letter sent to the Comet Observatory; let me say that BMW has some strong tie with the postal services here in the Mushroom Kingdom._

_Sincerely,_

_Michael Fong_

_BMW Motorsport Assistant President and General Manager_

She gaped at the letter for some time. Of course, Rosalina had a passion for racing; but to be _invited_ to a legendary event such as this was a little overwhelming. She had never been Grand Touring before, although she _had_ heard of it. This was some kind of opportunity she wouldn't want to miss; and the general manager – Michael, he was called – had already gathered half of the team. From her knowledge of the racing world; Rosalina had heard Grand Touring required a formidably massive team.

"Looks like it won't hurt to do a little more racing," she said to herself. Her works on the constellations could wait until she had helped out Team BMW Motorsport. Additionally and beneficially: she could use a break from the Observatory anyway.

She reached out for one of her pens and started to write on the application form.

**Comet Observatory: 12:09 PM**

Polari the Luma wasn't at all worried that Rosalina had been spending over two hours in her office on a letter. But since it wasn't about solar constellations, this heightened Polari's curiosity, so Polari decided to peek at what Rosalina was reading about.

Right before Polari was about to knock on the office door, the door swung open.

"Ah, Polari," Rosalina said smoothly. "I just happened to be looking for you."

"Yes, Rosalina," Polari casually said. "What's in the letter?"

"Oh, nothing; it was just an invitation from a motor sport team. They want me to help them out on a 24 hour race –"

"WHAT?!" Luma interrupted. "Why didn't you tell me?! Are you going?! When are you going?! You wouldn't want to leave the Observatory like you did with the Special Cup Tour, are you?"

Rosalina grinned, saying, "It's only for 24 hours, and I'm not leaving yet. Could you do me a favour, Polari? I need you to bring this letter to mail back to the Mushroom Kingdom. We'll begin to head down once they've replied."

"Okay," he said. Taking Rosalina's letter, Polari stood holding the letter marked, 'BMW M', with Rosalina aiming her wand at him, and warped him down to the Mushroom Kingdom below; where Michael Fong's temporary BMW building stood.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 12:15 PM**

"Okay, in you go," Polari said, pushing the letter into the building's mailbox. He then warped again into space later through the use of his own abilities.

In hours, the BMW Motorsport Assistant President and General Manager Michael Fong would have the letter in his hands, and Rosalina would be added to the team's roster.


	3. The Last Driver's Letter

**I wasn't expecting such an instant review spike after just a day or two... wow.**

**Thank you, Yoshi with a Mustache and The-Rogue-Phoenix! And just so you know, I've watched the 24-hour-race on Top Gear too.**

**Incidentally, I credit two others who supplied me with drivers, though I've forgotten their names, but...**

* * *

_**Chapter three**_

**Yoshi's Island: 11:35 AM**

**The same morning…**

Yoshi and his friend Birdo each unexpectedly received a letter from a race team called BMW Motorsport. Although they couldn't speak the language too well, they were both intelligent enough to read what General Manager Michael Fong had written to them.

At the same time, Birdo had travelled from her homeland to bring this discussion to Yoshi for advice, and was even more surprised upon her arrival that Yoshi had received the same letter from BMW. She immediately started her questioning…

"What do you think?" Yoshi asked Birdo in his language. "This team BMW is asking me to participate as a driver!"

"They want me to apply as a wheel gun carrier," Birdo said. "It should be interesting."

The letter that Team BMW Motorsport had given to them stated that the race they were asking them to participate in a 24 hour race in Germany, and that the team had half the positions needed to participate in the Nürburgring. While Yoshi and Birdo had been both participants in the Special Cup Tour, this Michael Fong had noted Yoshi's skill at the wheel, which was the reason for the letter.

This was a bit of what Michael's letter to Yoshi wrote.

…_I could see in previous records that you're pretty good at turning. At the Nürburgring, where 88 corners exist per lap, your skill will be invaluable, and that's exactly the kind of driver Team BMW Motorsport needs…_

"I don't know, Birdo," Yoshi said. "I'm still a bit exhausted from the Special Cup Tour, just like the entire world is. But still…"

"You'd like to race in these 24 hours," she finished for him. "Hey, I'm exhausted too. But this is some opportunity I'd want to miss. As Michael said, it only happens once a year! Remember the letter? 24 hours, 88 corners! This is the kind of stuff we've never, EVER, done before! Who knows when would be our next chance?"

"Good point," Yoshi smiled. "Now, Michael said he included an application of some sort in here…"

Birdo also relooked at the letter Michael Fong had given to her.

…_Although I find that BMW Motorsport has many 'leading' roles, I know there is no such thing. Every part of the team is as important as the drivers. I'm choosing you to help represent BMW Motorsport's leading wheel gun carrier. With a bit of training, I know that you would have potential to do so. If you'd like to join us, let me know. The application required for you to join is inside too._

Along with what Michael wrote to Yoshi as something of a business letter also contained an application form for Yoshi to fill out, and this was the same thing for Birdo as well. Even though Birdo had little experience with the pen, Yoshi was able to help her.

"Wow, Yoshi! These are hard questions!" Birdo exclaimed. "And you seem like that they're so easy to do!"

"Of course!" Yoshi said back. "Just think back to the Special Cup Tour. It'll help a lot."

Birdo didn't need to be reminded of her part in the Tour. It was about a month-long race in their karts where

It took a while for the two of them to get the application filled. As they wrote, they came across details like place of residence and addresses, which Yoshi took time to purposefully fill out his and Birdo's. Birdo herself thought up of reasonable answers to the questions on the form; these included the ones on Yoshi's form which Birdo had generously helped him out with.

"I haven't gone racing for so long, and I've been busy for a while on the island too," Birdo said as she filled out more of the form. "Grand Touring… had you ever heard of it?"

"Not until now, which Mr. Fong has so thoroughly explained," Yoshi said as he also filled out more of the form. "Still, it remains that we get to drive in a high-end car together with the team. Grand Touring must be pretty cool! I do wonder though if Mario or Luigi are in too."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they were," she said. "After all, they were the winners of the Special Cup Tour, anyway. Grand Touring… Grand."

"We've got to try it out," Yoshi finished the rest of the application and took it to mail outside of his home. "Besides, you don't get to do the dangerous part at least. Grand Touring racing; I might crash into another car, or the car might explode, so I'm told from news around the world. But that's the fun part: it's really intense, and we've got to try to stay awake for 24 hours!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Birdo rebuked. "I'm sure that they'll provide us some place to sleep. Besides, it's impossible to keep up that kind of strength for such a long period of time. Anyhow, have you finished filling out that application?"

Yoshi took the two forms and put them into new envelopes. With two quick licks from Yoshi's long tongue, each letter was sealed up and ready to be delivered back to BMW M. Birdo took those letters and gestured for Yoshi to follow, which he did.

**Yoshi's Island: 2:04 PM**

Yoshi and Birdo made their way to the local postal service. With only 20 coins, Yoshi purchased 10 coins worth of stamps for himself and Birdo, and it was enough to cover the cost to mail to the Mushroom Kingdom. It wouldn't be long before the letters ended up at Michael Fong's hands, as a mailing truck had just exited from the office ten minutes after Yoshi and Birdo had left.

"Do you reckon they'll get the applications and accept us?" Birdo questioned.

"If this is really BMW we're dealing with, I have some doubt," Yoshi answered. "But I have a good feeling that they will. He said he's got half the team ready, and I think that Mr. Fong sent these letters specifically to us. It's as if he was giving an invitation…"

Birdo patted Yoshi's shoulder. "It _is_ an invitation. Come on, do you need to read the letter again?"

* * *

**If you like it, then go ahead and keep reading!**


	4. The Roster Grows

_**Chapter four**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 3:00 PM**

**21 Days before the 24 Hour Race.**

The postal service had just arrived by air and land to the doorstep of the BMW building. There was a mailbox, that was true, but this mailman preferred to just knock on doors occasionally.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he asked.

The door whipped open to reveal a man in a suit and steel-framed glasses; it was Michael.

"Oh, good afternoon," he said pleasantly. "You're here with the mail again?"

"Yep," the mailman replied. "And just so you know, your mailbox has three other letters in here. I've taken the liberty of opening your box for you."

He handed over to Michael two letters marked 'To BMW Motorsport general manager Michael Fong', which he took with gratitude.

"Thanks, I haven't had time to check my mail lately, since I'm so busy with all my other works."

"No problem," the mailman said back and tipped his hat as a gesture of departure.

Michael went back in to his office. He was just closing and finishing an interview with more applicants for his team. One of them was another Koopa; two of them were Toad civilians, and they had just applied for wheel gun carriers, which was what Michael desperately needed. He deliberately left the choice of wheel gun carriers, with the exception of Birdo, to the local residents.

_But that still leaves empty spaces for the rest of the team!_ Michael thought. _I wonder if we'll ever get the team put together in time. Still, there's three weeks before the race. But we need the time to practice as well. I just hope my letters have all been received._

Michael took a look at the many letters he had prepared to send should his letters be sent back to him. Although all the letters he prepared were copies, they were enough to schedule the date of meeting; and that was to be in a week. Each letter was already sealed in an envelope and ready to be mailed. The only problem was that the team was incomplete, and Michael couldn't really bring himself to mail them until the roster was full.

He walked to his desk and sat down with the first letter in front of him; this one was sent to him from Rosalina, and smiled as he read through the short reply.

_Dear Mr. Fong,_

_I would be honoured to join your team! Here's my application too._

_Rosalina_

The application form attached to the letter with the BMW M logo had Rosalina's handwriting written on it. Michael took his patience to read through the application, and knew that at once Rosalina would be a driver for the team. He opened the file beside him showing the roster and scribbled the name 'Rosalina' under the drivers list, third to Luigi and Daisy. That was perfect; that meant he needed only one more driver to add to the list.

In addition to Rosalina's letter were the other two replied letters from Yoshi and Birdo, which meant Michael got his wish for a fourth driver. It was hard to believe for Michael that he had sent his requests just 17 hours ago, and after a cup of espresso. He looked and double-checked to make sure that these were letters sent from Yoshi's Island, and he tore them open.

"Ugh…!" Michael grunted as his hand made contact with the slimy substance on the letter. After wiping his hands, he took out the application and began to read.

_Mr. Fong_

_I know I may lack the ability to speak the language, but at the very least I can still write it. It seemed really convenient that Birdo happened to get your letter at the same time as I did. As a result, we worked together on our applications. Please, may they be acceptable._

_Yoshi_

_P.S. One of my Yoshi buddies has heard of your 24 hour race and would like to join your team as a racer, and if nothing else: the guy who helps the car up. Don't worry, I've made a copy of your application and he's probably mailing it to you right now. His name is Boshi, and he's a HUGE racing enthusiast._

As Michael finished, he already knew that he would accept them anyway. But it was a BMW racing protocol; and there was no way around that. He opened the file again and scribbled the names Yoshi and Birdo under the appropriate categories. What bothered him was the copied application sent with Yoshi's. As Assistant President, he might have some reason to accept it as the application itself was legitimate, but not the form. He would have to call the BMW M President to talk about that.

At his convenience, and while the file was still laid out in front of him, Michael took a quick glance at how the roster was doing: he had Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi as drivers; the team of Toad as tire catchers; Koops and his friends as tire carriers; an integrated team consisting Birdo, the Koopa, and two Toad as wheel gun carriers, and Yoshi's friend Boshi as the bearer of the wheel jack. That was seventeen members altogether; he only needed to wait for the remaining seven members to reply back. He smiled at the thought of their faces when they would realise it would be their friends as their teammates.

He also took out three of his prepared reply letters and wrote down the Comet Observatory's secret address with Rosalina's name on one, the other two addressing to Yoshi's Island, and two more addressing in the Mushroom Kingdom. In the next half hour the mailman would come, and Michael would give the directed letters to him.

**Mushroom Kingdom: 6:15 PM**

"Do we really need to bring any gear on race day?"

"No, I don't think so. Team BMW Motorsport should be able to supply us with what we need."

It was Daisy who brought up the question as she and Luigi were eating dinner; a simple meal comprised of a Mushroom and onions fried and cooked over a stone stove at Daisy's residence, in other words; a Shroom Fry, although it had been Luigi who had done the cooking.

"It's just like yesterday morning all over again, eh?" Luigi briefly said before drinking a bit of his fresh juice.

"You _could_ say that again," Daisy replied. "But this time you did a much better job."

Luigi scoffed, "_You_ helped me out this time. I just need a few more times of practice and I'll get it right. Maybe I'll manage to cook that Mushroom omelette correctly one day."

Daisy smiled and continued to eat her Shroom Fry.

They each had taken a seat opposite to each other and ate their meal. While the sun hadn't set yet, the slightest edge of sunlight was not far from touching the hilltop. The sun would be going down in an hour or two, and so left the two to enjoy some quiet time.

"It's going to be a lovely sunset," Daisy commented.

"Definitely," Luigi agreed. "Hey, how about I cook up a batch of cinnamon Danishes?"

Daisy got up. "No way, I've a better talent for making desserts than you do for sure. Besides, you made dinner, so it's MY turn."

Luigi scoffed again, but knew that he would have lost this argument anyway. "Fair enough."

It was only ten minutes later did Luigi smelled the sweet scent of cinnamon wafting through the air. He decided to do Daisy a favour and helped wash the dishes while the Danishes were baking. As he washed them, he turned his head to look at the oven, but Daisy was in the way. She turned her head to look at him; and Luigi's gaze made eye contact with hers.

"Looking at something, Luigi?" she asked in a light tone.

"Oh! No, of course not!" Luigi replied, his face pink. "I'm just trying to look at dessert."

Daisy laughed. Taking a look at her watch, she said, "It'll be ready soon."

They heard a knock on the door ("I get it," Luigi said,) and Luigi soon came back with a letter in his hand.

"Well, what do you know…" Luigi remarked.

"What…?" Daisy stared. It was a letter marked with the BMW logo on it; and on the return address was a typed out name '**BMW Motorsport**'. They both knew at once that Michael must have sent this as a reply.

"Here, you open it," Luigi handed the letter over to her. She took it and delicately, but hastily, opened it and read it.

"What does it say?" Luigi asked.

"The date of meeting…" Daisy slowly said. "It's scheduled in a week."

She folded the letter and put it aside. Turning to face Luigi, she said, "I don't doubt you've got a letter, too."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to check," he responded. "But first… how about we finish making those Danishes?"

"Hey! They're already done!" Daisy clapped her hand on Luigi's arm.

The tray was taken out of the oven with steaming hot pastries on it. Daisy took one for herself and another for Luigi, who chewed it slowly and gave his compliments to Daisy, which she accepted.


	5. Engineering Wisdom

**Thanks to The Rogue Phoenix and Sweet Andraste for their support.**

* * *

_**Chapter five**_

**Princess Peach's Castle: 8:00 AM**

**19 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"Let me get this straight again; _they_ want _us_ to be the engineers for Team BMW Motorsport?"

"Of course. After all, you _are_ a veteran, and you should be used to having the power to give orders to the other Toad. This would suit you fine! Plus, I am capable of knowledge about cars as well, along with my massive mind of intelligence."

Toadsworth had received the letter from BMW Motorsport suggesting that he be an engineer for the team, and while being sure or not what to do; he decided to consult Skolar: a purple Star Spirit with glasses and a moustache, who had also received a similar letter from BMW M.

To Toadsworth, the BMW general manager wrote:

_Even though I've heard of your support at the Special Cup Tour, I know you are more than capable of the knowledge of a car and, more importantly, communication. With our drivers, mechanics, and BMW Motorsport personnel all busy, you need to keep all of them in check. Furthermore, you are charged with representing our team to the media along with the other engineer. Knowledge and organisation are also key to the role as well, and since this IS the Nürburgring…_

Skolar's letter included:

…_your limitless knowledge, as I've read in the Mushroom Kingdom archives, is impossible to describe in words. I hope I am not asking too much of you in joining Team BMW Motorsport. I'm simply here to look for participants from this country. That is simply all I'm saying…_

In the rest of the letter described the details of the engineer's role.

"So basically," Toadsworth started. "Is there any more we need to do? We have all the knowledge, right? We need to organise test runs; keep the vehicle's condition perfect –"

"We also need to keep in touch with the driver and more importantly decide how the car will be changed when it arrives to stop," Skolar interrupted. "Another cruel part of the job is that we need to continually update weather conditions every so often; and I mean minutes. As Mr. Fong has so thoroughly and particularly explained in the letter; we need to ensure the car's best performance on the track as well as from the drivers too."

Toadsworth got up and paced back and forth in front of the terrace where he and Skolar were meeting. To Skolar, it looked like Toadsworth was pacing with mixed thoughts of frustration and uncertainty in his head. He kept up this pace for some time.

"I don't know… it could be quite the burden, don't you think?" he asked. "I've faced so many problems in the castle before, but this is overdoing it!"

"Oh, this is alright," Skolar remarked. "Besides, I've had a little more trouble with organising Parties than with this, and this is just a single event!"

"Car conditions; tedious weather updates; team morale; _the press…!_ And we've got to do this for how long? 24 hours!" Toadsworth complained. "Imagine… I'm getting too old for this."

"And your point…?" Skolar asked, and waited patiently for his answer.

Toadsworth couldn't think of a way to reply that, and he kept pacing back and forth again with his walking stick; thinking not only of a straight answer to him, but also whether he should join. He turned to face Skolar again.

"I know this is a legendary event that's lasted for decades and decades," he said slowly. "But _think – about – it!_ It's a 24 hour race! How do we stay awake for that amount of time?!"

Skolar turned his back to begin writing his reply to General Manager Michael Fong, and answering Toadsworth at the same time. "I'll leave that to your conscience, sir. But this is a one time chance we've got here; and if I were you, I wouldn't waste it. If you really are going to join, fill in the application."

At that, Skolar began to write his grateful reply to Michael, leaving Toadsworth with his dilemmatic and confused thoughts.

He stared at the application form laid on the desk front of him, but he didn't sit. Rather, he continued to pace and think.

**Princess Peach's Castle: 8:57 AM**

Toadsworth exited to the castle grounds of Princess Peach's property to place his letter in the mailbox. He had made up his mind: he was going to take on the task of being an engineer for Team BMW Motorsport for the 24 Hours, in spite that he would have to leave the castle for a while.

"So you've decided to go?" a voice said out of the blue.

Toadsworth jumped.

"I'm sorry, Toadsworth. 'Didn't mean to frighten you," said the voice of Skolar, and he appeared right beside him. "So what made you think?"

Toadsworth took a breath. "Well, I'm not really into doing the racing; but the Special Cup Tour's been in my head thanks to you. I think I'd give it a shot at the organisation; even though there's a heavyweight attached to it."

"Don't worry," Skolar assured. "You've got me on your side. As we're both knowledge powers, we'll manage."

_Now_ Toadsworth was a little more comfortable, but not enough to hold down all the debating thoughts in his mind, and the two slid their letters into the mailbox.


	6. The Unexpected Prospects

_**Chapter six**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 12:00 PM**

**19 Days before the start of the 24 Hour Race: the same day…**

BMW M assistant president and general manager Michael Fong selected a spinach and cheese sandwich from the newly opened café in the formerly BMW-rented building. Just eight hours ago, the BMW head office in Germany purchased the property surrounding the building and not to mention the building itself. Now that they didn't need to rent it, BMW at their convenience transformed the building into an office and dealership in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Additionally, this meant BMW mechanics and other workers could come to help them too.

Michael brought his sandwich to his new office for a quick lunch break. He had no doubt that the race team would be ready soon, as he had just received letters from both Toadsworth and Skolar saying they would be happy to come to the race. He only needed to mail them letters of the date of meeting, but before he could do that, he added their names to the roster.

_Only two mechanics,_ Michael thought. _That's all I need._

Of course, he needed a crew chief, but he already had in mind the ideal person for the job, and the letter he sent to him should come back soon enough. Michael unwrapped the sandwich he bought and took two bites from it before continuing his work.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," Michael said casually.

The door swung wide open to reveal two figures. One was an extremely massive, and muscular, monkey with a red tie, the other a blue Yoshi wearing intimidating sunglasses. Michael looked up from his desk and was startled.

"Whoa!" he said in surprise. "What – who are you – two?"

The monkey came first and was known as Donkey Kong, the one Michael had mailed to days before. Donkey Kong slapped the application form he received, and to Michael it was the messiest writing he had ever seen so far. But nevertheless it was sufficient.

"Okay, DK. I won't ask why you're here, but I will explain what you need to do," Michael leaned closer to him. "Do you think you could handle carrying about seventy litres of gas into a car _safely_? It's fairly heavy and possibly dangerous if not done right."

Donkey Kong responded with a few laughs, low barks, and motion language. For Michael, it was enough for him to understand what the message DK was trying to get at.

"I see," Michael said. "No, I didn't mean to offend or underestimate your strength; I just wanted to make sure you could do the job, that's all. In fact, I hope you can manage safety and efficiency at the same time for _24 hours_. We'll get some practice with the car in a week, okay?"

Donkey Kong nodded.

Michael wasn't entirely convinced that DK understood, and decided to give him some pictures of the role he was to do. That is, both day and night.

"You need to understand to obey orders from our engineers and crew chief," Michael added. "If you don't, you might compromise the race.

DK stared at the pictures for a minute and gave Michael a thumbs-up.

"Very well, then!" Michael took out his roster file and wrote down Donkey Kong's name under fuel tank holder, and then extended his hand to him. "Welcome to Team BMW Motorsport, Donkey Kong."

DK, instead of shaking Michael's hand, slapped at large hand into it instead in a high-five motion. Michael smiled weakly as he took his hand back, which along with his arm was shaking badly.

"N – No problem," he stammered. "Come back here in five days: I've scheduled a meeting with all members of Team BMW M here, and then we'll depart for Germany the day after. I've just got to make sure we have a full team before we continue."

Donkey Kong nodded again and left the room, which left the blue Yoshi with sunglasses to deal with now.

"And you are…?"

"I'm Boshi," the Yoshi replied curtly. "I suppose you've heard of my application already? Cause I'm just here to see if it works. Well?! Doesn't it?!"

Michael didn't show any sign of ignorance, but decided not to answer in words. He still had the roster file wide open in front of him, so he might as well check.

"Let's see… _Boshi_…" he said quietly. "_Right._ You applied for being our jack. I do wonder though; you're a competitive person, so why the jack?"

"I'm a pretty fast Yoshi," Boshi boasted. "Maybe even the fastest one out there. If I had heard of your coming earlier, I would have applied to be a driver. But I only heard of your team from Yoshi, so I figured you sent letters to other drivers too."

Michael blinked, and said, "You're right. But as far as your speed goes, why didn't you apply for wheel guns, for example? They take speed as well, and the jack needs accuracy to perform best."

"I've been through years of racing," Boshi cut in. "I know a lot of tricks when it comes to speed _and_ accuracy, and I know that's key. You might not know this, Mr. Fong, but I've operated an air jack for five months before I started getting competitive, so don't underestimate me!"

"I'm not," Michael replied. "We'll test out your skill at the Nürburgring when we get there. For the time being, I'll see you at the meeting. Team BMW Motorsport welcomes you, Boshi, and come back in five days, like I just said earlier."

Boshi gave a short word of thanks and left the room.

Now Michael used his remaining time to finish eating his sandwich and gave a self-overview of his roster and what needed to done.

_I only need to wait for the letters from the mechanics to come back_, he thought. _In the meantime, I better get the reply letters sent._

He had the letters of date of meeting ready to be sent to Toadsworth and Skolar; Koops and his friends; and the team of Toad civilians in the Mushroom Kingdom. Fortunately, all the letters were addressed in the same country, so Michael could expect a quick delivery.

Finally, he took the wrapper of the sandwich he had just ate and disposed of in the trash.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 1:25 PM**

Michael had an entire package of letters to be mailed to the Mushroom Kingdom. Overall, the amount he was sending was ten letters at once; with each one imprinted with '**BMW Motorsport**'. He could only imagine the small trouble he would be giving to the mailman.


	7. Trouble Brews

_**Chapter seven**_

**Bowser's Castle: 9:15 AM**

**18 Days before the start of the 24 Hour Race**

"I don't BELIEVE IT!" roared the Koopa King.

"What is it, papa?" asked his son.

"I've just received word from my contact in the Mushroom Kingdom that a motor sport team has been prospecting citizens around the country to join their effort in a race, AND _I_ wasn't invited!"

Bowser had just received the message fifteen minutes earlier; it stated the car manufacturer BMW had been in the Mushroom Kingdom looking for members to participate in the 24 Hour Race at the Nürburgring. To him, it just wasn't fair that he wasn't in the team.

He and Bowser Jr. were in the castle's main foyer. Bowser, aware that excitement in the country had risen to a considerable level, asked his contact to investigate what was going on.

Now, he was even more outraged at the news that Luigi _and_ Daisy were in the race, too.

"Oh come on, papa!" shouted Bowser Jr. "Your seventh place finish wasn't all that bad at the Special Cup Tour. At least you survived it!"

Bowser couldn't really find an answer to that, as he swerved his gaze to the kart he used in the Tour, which was very badly beaten and half-destroyed. It was a mark of victory and defeat that proved while he may have survived the Tour in one piece, he couldn't defeat Mario or Luigi and, worst of all, Daisy who itched past him in the last race by a point.

"Well. Sure I survived the race, but I'm not skipping out on this chance to show my racing skills in front of the Mushroom Kingdom!" Bowser roared.

The thing was: Bowser wanted to show that _he_ was the superior racer, despite that Mario finished first in the Special Cup Tour. If only he could get that one chance to personally humiliate Mario in front of all those people, let alone those in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"I've made my decision!" Bowser roared again. "We will participate in this 24 hour race! We will put together a team, and then we race! Even if it means by sabotage!"

Bowser Jr. shook his head. "Think, papa! TWENTY FOUR HOURS! You can't even stay awake to sabotage them in team! Plus, we need to race, too! Why don't we just grab a fast car, and race?"

Bowser also shook his head in response. "In that case, we need to get a good company to sponsor us and a whole bunch of team members. I want nothing less than _the best of the best_. Is that clear, Jr.?!"

"Right…" Bowser Jr. shrugged. "Which company do you want to use?"

"I want the company who's been dominating this '24 hour race'. This must be the best of the best; and it's one that rivals BMW. I just can't remember the name! Jr.! Go right now to do some research and find me that company!" he barked.

"Right away."

While Bowser Jr. went off to a computer to investigate, Bowser decided to get some 'friends' of his, or rather his contacts, to put together a team for the race. From what he knew, some of them didn't even make it in the Special Cup Tour. Now, he just might be able to revive their reputations in a 24 hour race, even though they wouldn't be racing.

_BMW will _regret_ for not picking me to be on their team!_ Bowser thought. _If they don't pick the best driver from the Mushroom Kingdom on their team, that is, me; I'll bring them down myself!_

"Oi! Papa!" Bowser Jr. shouted. "I've discovered the race is at a place called the 'Nürburgring' –"

"What do I care?!" Bowser's rage was rising.

"But – 88 corners and over 20 kilometres a lap! Do you think we'll survive that into the night to the break of dawn?"

"Heh! With a little tweaking of the car from our friends, we're bound to win! Jr.! Where's that racing car? Have you found it yet?!" he shouted.

Bowser Jr.'s face was flat. "Oh, alright. The company is called 'Ferrari'; they specialise in making supercars. If you like, we can get them to sponsor us a car for the race."

Bowser was skeptical. Not because they would sponsor them a car, but that their performance wouldn't be as good as expected, so asked, "What's their winning record on this 'Nürburgring'?"

"Not a lot of overall wins, lately –" Bowser Jr. began.

"NO. We need a car that we can modify extensively for ourselves," Bowser curtly cut in. "The car must ALSO fit my size! Plus: _didn't you hear me?_ A company that's been having a good winning record! We need the best!"

Bowser Jr. made a face, and typed in several keys in the computer again.

"Let's see… there's a good ranged company called Volkswagen… one called Subaru… oh yeah, there's Bugatti," he read out.

"Bugatti?" Bowser raised an eyebrow. "How's their record?"

"Well, according to a record from Nürburgring, they never actually entered a car in the race because the car itself is so expensive. Still, it's one of the fastest cars ever created in the known world."

Bowser was just about to say something when Bowser Jr. cut in in front of him.

"Papa Bowser. If you're going to make a team to enter the race, you also need a motorsport company to back you up."

"That's no sweat!" Bowser raised a fist. "We're going to make a motorsport company; right now!"

Now it was almost Bowser Jr.'s turn to say something, but Bowser was already off.

"I'M OFF TO CONTACT BUGATTI! AS FOR YOU: CREATE A MOTORSPORT COMPANY WITHIN THE HOUR!" he roared. "WHEN THAT'S DONE, WE'LL GET SOME RECRUITS!"

Then Bowser blew a roaring flame into the air to exhaust and filter his rage. Then he walked away to make his historic phone call. Jr. shrugged again and started to draft a plan for the team name.

**Bowser's Castle: 12:58 PM**

Hours later, Bowser returned to the foyer with a face showing a sense of triumph. That was typical of Bowser; at least that was what Bowser Jr. normally thought.

"Okay… what did you do, papa?"

"I did it!" Bowser said proudly. "Bugatti is going to donate us a genuine stock car! We just need to modify it by ourselves! Jr.! How's the company going?"

Bowser Jr. uploaded the file he was working extensively on onto the computer. After that, he took out a massive banner and unfurled it on the ground.

"Here's the name of our authentic racing team company!"

Bowser looked at the massive black and red banner that lay on the floor in front of him. It was mainly black with the Bowser emblem emblazoned on the side of the banner, and in red the upper case letters were titled and decorated the majority of the banner: **Bowser Motorsport Racing**.

"O-kay," Bowser picked it up to examine it right. "Yep! It'll do!"

"What's the car we're getting, papa?"

Bowser put down the banner. "We're getting a nice Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. I specifically requested they could make the car convertible so I can fit in the car. They were happy to oblige when I said it would be used at the Nürburgring."

Bowser Jr. searched the car on the internet. "Oh… nice choice, that thing's a powerhouse! Just wait 'til Bowser Motorsport gets their hands on that! We're going to make history!"

"Speaking of," Bowser Jr. continued. "Who's on the team?"

Bowser scratched his head, which prompted Jr. to laugh.

"Don't worry, papa! I'll give you some time to think who to recruit! As a reward, you get to go to their doorsteps, too! Shall I give you the kinds of people you need for a team?"

Bowser gave no answer and shoved Bowser Jr. away to look. His setup needed four drivers: that meant himself and Jr., which left two spaces.

_I have no idea who to pick, but I'll think of someone_, he thought. As for the pit stop crew, which comprised of wheel gun carriers, jacks, tire changers, fire extinguishers… his army could fulfil that purpose.

This left a position for a fuel tank holder, engineers, mechanics, a crew chief…

"I'm sure Grodus wouldn't mind if you ask him to spare some time as a mechanic for our team, don't you think, papa?"

"WHAT…! GRODUS?!" Bowser yelled. "The maniac tried to annihilate the entire universe with his deeds! The Thousand-Year Door! Remember?!"

"But!" Bowser Jr. cut in. "He has all the technology we need! He can help us build the ultimate endurance machine. After all, we want to make up for that loss at the Special Cup Tour, right?"

"Good point," Bowser agreed.

**Bowser's Castle: 6:30 PM**

"I've got a suggested list of recruits, papa," Bowser Jr. announced and handed Bowser a list. "You should take a look. By the way, when's our car arriving?"

Bowser was busy reading through the list, but spared time to answer. "We're not getting the car _here_. We're going to modify it at the Nürburgring. We'll give BMW Motorsport a surprise where they least expect it. With our recruits –"

"Papa, I should also tell you that Luigi and Daisy are also driving for BMW Motorsport as well…" Bowser Jr. cut in for the second or third time.

Bowser lifted his head from the list and stared into space, and an evil smile spread across his mouth.

"Very good, very good… we'll be able to smash some reputations on the way… and give those two a very warm welcome… Muahahaaha!"

With that, Bowser gave the list back to his son and began to contact recruits for his team.

* * *

**The Bowser Motorsport Racing team in a nutshell... and can you imagine the kind of car the car they chose to use?! A Bugatti Veyron...**


	8. Mechanized Specialists

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 5:00 PM**

**17 Days before the start of the 24 Hour Race**

In the BMW building, Michael was beginning to get worried. It had been… what? Four or five days had passed since he sent his letters to his requested mechanics. While he managed to get flag positions, window wipers, and door assistants from BMW. It wouldn't be long until the meeting, which was scheduled in three days. Most importantly: the requested crew chief hadn't replied to him yet.

_Come on…!_ Michael urged himself. _How much longer?_

He turned to his desk to check his roster once more; the spaces for mechanics were still empty, which set him on edge. If all else failed, he would have to get mechanics from BMW to finish the job. But this went against his goal that he _would_ get mainly Mushroom Kingdom participants. He needed to keep waiting, but in the meantime what could he do?

Michael took out a second file which outlined aspects of the scheduled meeting. It also mentioned that the night after the meeting would be the time to head to Germany. The only problem was that Michael needed to know the amount of people who would be on the flight: so he would have to wait a bit for more responses to his roster.

_Schubert Motorsport_, Michael thought.

In addition, the motorsport company that would have backed up Team BMW Motorsport would be Schnitzer Motorsport. But unfortunately, due to DTM commitments Schnitzer couldn't participate in the 24-hour-race. So instead, another racing team called Schubert Motorsport was chosen to represent BMW at the race. Schubert had kindly collaborated with BMW to modify and engineer two finely tuned race cars. One would be used for Luigi and Daisy and the other would be for the German drivers. As for the pit crew, Schubert agreed that Michael's prospects would be for the team for both cars.

The file finally disclosed photos of a BMW M3 and undecorated identical race cars of the renowned and powerful BMW M3 GT, but it was retired. Right now, the M3 GT was not unlike a stock M3; except for the tall rear spoiler adding extra down force and aerodynamics on the car. The spoiler was raised to a height where it was equivalent to the car's top! But since the BMW M3 GT was now retired, BMW switched to entering the BMW Z4 GT3.

The BMW Z4 GT3 was slightly different than its template, given it had strengthening aerodynamic parts all around including a low rear spoiler that was near identical with its hood. Unlike its base car, which had a V6 cylinder engine, the BMW Z4 GT3 boasted the heart of the BMW M3 within: a 4.4 litre V8 engine. It was all in compliance with FIA GT3 regulations.

According to BMW Motorsport's report: the Z4 GT3s would arrive in Germany in two days; and that left an additional two days for them to fine tune the car before Michael's team would arrive at the Nürburgring.

The bottom line remained, though, Michael still needed mechanics.

**Circuit Break Island: 5:01 PM**

"How much would you rate the Special Cup Tour?"

"I'd say… it's not the same as our racing here. We stick with the extreme karts; they don't do that. But I suppose that's fine: they live with that."

"So what exactly are you working on now?"

"I'm invited to participate in the most extreme sport there ever is from BMW. Seriously… a 24 hour race. Grand Touring, you know. I definitely don't want to miss this."

Torque, a Spike Top with instead of a spike had a wrench, had an almost limitless passion for Grand Touring ever since he heard of it, but never got the opportunity to get a team to sponsor him. Now might be his best chance. He was conversing with one of his fellow friends near the race track's finish line.

As a veteran mechanic of karts with his handpicked first-class set of tools; he had more than enough experience to fix up a kart on his own in minutes. He even possessed the capability to build his own kart! The extent of repairs and racing he went through earned his mechanic skills to almost legendary status.

Michael cut straight to the point when Torque read his letter.

_Greetings, Torque,_

_It is with great pleasure that I, Michael Fong, General Manager and Assistant President of BMW M, am personally inviting you to participate as a mechanic in Team BMW Motorsport with welcome. You probably may not have heard of us: we specialise in the world of Grand Touring racing with our prestigious M3, and have seen countless victories over decades of racing. Races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series are among our various participations._

_As we progress into the racing season this year; ADAC of Germany is hosting the most renowned race in the world; the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. I am visiting the Mushroom Kingdom on BMW M's behalf in the hope that drivers here may have the chance to participate in this legendary race this year, since I've heard of some talented drivers in kart racing and the Special Cup Tour._

_Of course, though, I'm not in the market for drivers alone. I am also in need of members for a pit stop crew as well. I've read in my files and Mushroom Kingdom archives about Mario Kart, recently; and there can be no doubt I noticed your name amongst the top ranks. This sharpened my interest in your possible skill in motor sport and therefore I think you will find Grand Touring a prime time to show your talent with tuning a GT3 car. Even though I've already gathered half the team, your position is just as important as others._

_I'm quite optimistic and certain you could stay awake for 24 hours in the Nürburgring. Don't worry, we have sleeping pods available in the Team BMW Motorsport pit stop area at your disposal should you get tired. If no one is there to help out as a mechanic, our partner Schubert Motorsport will ensure what to do while you rest._

_To finish my invitation; I've included an application for you to fill out to enter Team BMW Motorsport. Mail this application back to me, and I'll send you a date of meeting. I trust your skills will be invaluable to support every aspect of Team BMW Motorsport this year. I'm not forcing you to join, otherwise you probably won't come at all, but rather I want you to participate in this 24 hour race for your benefit and Team BMW Motorsport._

_Sincerely,_

_Michael Fong_

_BMW Motorsport Assistant President and General Manager_

Torque had already lined up and organised his trusty tool kit: his signature torque wrench; standard wrenches of multiple shapes and sizes; many screwdrivers; measuring equipment… the bottom line was that there was a _lot_ of tools. With the knowledge of actually knowing where the tools were allowed Torque's performance to fix a car within the quickest time possible.

"Is your application done, Torque?" his friend asked.

"Oh, yeah. Here it is."

Torque passed his application to his friend, and he would then mail it to the Mushroom Kingdom to the BMW dealership and office. But first…

"I'll need ten coins for the mailing fee."

"Here's a few. Take an extra five for the road," Torque said and passed a stack of coins to his friend. Hopefully, his application would get through so he could give the 24 hour race a shot.

**Gadd Science Incorporated Laboratory: 5:01 PM**

"Yes, indeed," the shrill voice of a calm yet frantic scientist in a white coat said.

Professor Elvin Gadd, or E. Gadd as he was known, made the final conference conclusions to his crew's yearly meeting. The Gadd Science Inc. had proposed at the conference to build a prototype hybrid engine that used air and carbon as a fuel. Although ineffective, the engine sparked more ideas in the minds of the employees to make improvements.

"Professor Gadd," an employee spoke up. "Would it be possible to incorporate this sort of… device as a motor?"

"I assure you," E. Gadd said. "This is power of the sort that could fuel a jet, or a passenger airline at the very least. But the engine has yet to be indestructible. I suggest we keep it at a small scale for now… like powering a furnace or one of our lab machines…"

The motor was put on display on E. Gadd's presenting desk. To everyone's surprise; it was a moderately sized machine. In spite of its size; the amount of horsepower, as E. Gadd had explained, might be powerful enough to fuel a jet. According to their files, several litres for each engine would power it with enough energy for the jet to run for an hour.

"Where exactly in… a furnace would you put this motor, Professor Gadd?" asked another employee. "Certainly it wouldn't go on the exterior, right?"

"With – ahahaha – respect to you," E. Gadd answered. "You're right and wrong at the same time. Depending on where it's used, this really _doesn't_ go on the exterior, which is why we put it inside an aircraft. But we can use it to power something else, like you said: a furnace. We just need to attach some sort of cord…"

At that point, E. Gadd gave the motor to one of his assistants.

"Very well, we shall proceed with the project in time. For safety regulations, we may need to keep the motor in containment in case something bad happens. But allow me to finish our meeting by saying… keep on working on this project."

Everyone stood up, each giving a curt nod, and started packing.

* * *

E. Gadd had received a letter from a racing company called Team BMW Motorsport and was partly eager to read what it said. Even though Gadd had never been a fan of racing, let alone seeing an actual race, he had seen enough of the Special Cup Tour and Mario Kart to get the picture what it was like.

Amongst his creations, the Poltergust 4000 was one of his proudest inventions to the contribution of Mario Kart. Currently, it sat in one of the displays of Gadd Science Inc.

He had the letter with him, which was sent from a man called Michael Fong, marked with the words **BMW Motorsport**, and reread it on his way back to his office.

An excerpt read:

_Well, I'm quite interested in your – for lack of better word – knowledge of machinery in the area. I've read about you in the Mushroom Kingdom archives and your connection with motor sport: the Poltergust 4000 by Gadd Science Incorporated! Who would have thought you, in spite of your achievements in science, built a racing kart prototype?! As I have told other applicants to do; you need to fill out an application form if you want to join our effort in the 24 hour race of Nürburgring. If I managed to persuade you, and I hope did, to join Team BMW Motorsport as a mechanic; fill out the application. As a mechanic for our team, I hope you can prove yourself useful to repair a car as quickly as possible. Consider this a time to taste what a 24 hour storm feels like…_

E. Gadd found the application form marked with the BMW M logo inside the envelope as well. With some delay, he went to his office to grab one of his pens. Gadd had to agree with Michael; he had a splendid skill with building and repairing machinery; his Poltergust 4000 was proof of that.

However, he also noted that the race (as Michael had put in the letter) was to be held in less than three weeks. He would need to leave Gadd Science for a while to participate in the race. But in his head, he knew it was something worth doing. In the letter, Michael also said to mail his response _as soon as possible_, so he might as well fill out the application now.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a pen on him.

E. Gadd finally made it to the door of his office at last. He, looking through his strange lenses, picked up a pen on his desk and began to write as much as he could on the application form (within reason, of course). As intelligent with machines as he might be, years of working with tools heightened his hand reflexes; and he managed to write on the form what he wanted before even thinking about it!

**Gadd Science Incorporated Lab: 5:52 PM**

The thing was, E. Gadd was simply too good for applications. As a founder, he had enough familiarity with applications of other Gadd Science employees to deal with. Still, Michael Fong needed an essay for him to enter Team BMW Motorsport. In less than an hour, Gadd had finished the essay and was ready to mail it to Michael.

_And he says he'll send back a date of meeting_, E. Gadd thought. _Heh! It better be quick._

He walked to one of his transports, and prepared a trip to the nearest postal office with his application in hand. The reply letter was labelled, 'Michael Fong, BMW Motorsport'.


	9. The Driver Lineup

_**Chapter nine**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 7:00 AM**

**16 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

It was early, but that didn't prevent BMW General Manager Michael Fong from getting up. What was on his mind, though, was excitement. Only yesterday, he received reply letters from his applicants for mechanics. Torque, in particular, was even willing to join! Michael wasn't surprised, but was still glad that this enabled for the team to proceed to almost completion.

The only team member that was missing, as he noted in the roster file, was a crew chief. Even though it had been roughly a week since he sent his letter to his requested applicant; he still anticipated that a letter would arrive, sooner or later.

"So it's almost done," Michael said to himself.

What he meant was the remaining reply letters he had prepared to send to E. Gadd and Torque. With a sense of excitement racing through his mind again, he went out early to the local postal office. His hope that BMW might get a win at this year's Nürburgring might come true at last.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 7:20 AM**

"Oh, it's you. Are you here to send more letters of yours again?"

Michael had taken his BMW 330i for a spin to the post office. As much as he'd like to drive leisurely, he had the heavyweight of the 24 hour race on his head. He decided to make the trip as quick as possible, and then he would head back to his office to complete the applications he was mailed.

Right now, he had the two letters ready to be sent. With the frequent visits he made to send invitation letters to his personal requests, the post office workers had entirely gotten used to his presence.

"You're right," Michael replied. "I assure you, these are some of the last of my letters."

"I'm glad that BMW is here to visit the Mushroom Kingdom," the worker replied. "But I'm also curious as to what they're, or rather you, are doing here."

Michael covered his mouth to hide a yawn. "I'm getting members here to join a motor sport team in a 24 hour race. You know, I've heard of feats here of the Special Cup Tour. If racers and motor sport is as good as I hear from here, they'll make an excellent appearance in the race."

The post worker smiled. "Wow. You're getting guys from here to participate in some crazy event. It must be exhilarating."

"It's actually more of an honour to them to represent the Mushroom Kingdom too," Michael added. "Just wait until the race."

"The Mushroom Kingdom residents might want to watch the event live," the worker said with a small smile. "You've got the Mushroom Kingdom behind you guys! Anyway, that'll be twelve coins."

Michael reached into his pocket and took out two coins: one valued at ten, the other valued at five; and handed them over for payment. The worker then exchanged three coins to Michael and gave a word of thanks, which Michael returned.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 3:10 PM**

The roster file lay open in front of Michael's desk. But Michael wasn't the one looking at it.

"This is your roster?" asked another person.

Michael unexpectedly had an executive representative from BMW in Germany to oversee his team. Michael wasn't a fluent speaker in German, but fortunately the representative spoke English flawlessly.

"You may take a good look, if you like. But I've no doubt you will."

The BMW rep took his time to oversee Michael's work. With his laptop in hand, he copied the entire file onto a document.

"Tell me," he said to Michael. "Do you think these members could take on supporting _both_ of our race cars? Or do we need backup?"

"I'm sure that they could handle it," Michael firmly replied. "But I've got two things for you: a question and a request."

"Let's start with the request."

"Okay," Michael Fong started. "Uh… I couldn't _really_ find good positions for those holding the fire extinguisher and a flag man. Do you think –?"

"Wait," the rep cut in. "You're Assistant President and General Manager! Couldn't you find members from BMW _M_ to get the job done?"

Michael paused. "Let me rephrase that: could you get members from Team BMW Motorsport to fill in those positions when you get back to Germany? I haven't got time on my hands."

The rep added notes to his laptop. "Okay. Anyway, apart from your members, we've got at least sixty other members to keep the BMW Z4 GT3 on the track. So what's your second question?"

"I'd like to look at who's in the lineup for the second Z4; just in case that we would need members from her again."

A swift motion of the laptop in Michael's direction, and he soon found himself looking at a short list of drivers for the other BMW Z4. It only showed their last names, though.

**J. Müller, D. Müller, A. Farfus, U. Alzen,**

"These are the other drivers," the rep said. "It's pretty much all German, with the exception of Farfus, who's a Brazilian. Of course, our long time driver Jörg Müller will be in the start."

"Also," the rep continued. "ADAC has done the job of giving out our start numbers. Your team of drivers will be operating with the number 18 car; Müller and the rest of them will be operating under the number 17 car."

Michael made his notes, and nodded to the rep.

He handed back the roster file to Michael.

"Okay, I suppose that your team members will pass entry into BMW Motorsport for sure. Even though that you're probably going to get them in anyway. Just remember that they need to be in Germany in time for qualification to drive the BMW Z4 GT3."

"We're actually thinking of giving our drivers some time to practice with the Z4 before the qualifying rounds. I'm thinking… a thousand test laps."

The BMW rep got up. "That'll be your choice, Mr. Fong. Just make sure your timeline will fit with ADAC's. You've got about – what – fourteen days before qualifying starts."

"I assure you," Michael got up also. "It will be done efficiently as possible."

They shook hands, and the BMW rep left the building as Michael turned to look at his timeline.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 4:46 PM**

A man with a bag of letters went inside the BMW dealership to the front desk, where a team of three receptionists were on duty. He went up to them, took out a letter, and placed it on the desk.

"This is BMW, I'm sure?" he asked them.

"Look around you," one receptionist said politely. "There are at least two dozen models on display in this dealership. Of course this is BMW! Why so?"

"I've got a letter here addressed to this place. Now don't ask me what it is, I just deliver."

The second receptionist took it and nodded to the third one, who was standing.

"Take this to…" she read. "Mr. Fong."

The third receptionist straightened his tie and took the letter to Michael Fong's office. He walked up a flight of stairs to the second level where Michael's office of nearly glass walls stood: overlooking the entire dealership showroom.

He knocked on the door, and a voice said, "Come in."

Letter in hand, the receptionist walked up to Michael and said, "The mailman personally came to drop by today. There's a letter addressed to you and, I think, it's something important. After all, it's asking for your attention too: it's sent from the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Thank you. I'll look into it."

Minutes later, Michael opened the letter he received.

_Ah… finally,_ he thought with satisfaction.

It was a reply letter and application from his requested crew chief, and he replied with a 'Yes' to join the 24 hour race. Immediately Michael began to write out his final reply letter.


	10. Night Raid

_**Chapter ten**_

**Bowser's Castle: 11:45 PM**

**16 Days before the 24 Hour Race: that night…**

Bowser Jr. could tell his father was happy. The delivery of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport had proven successful, and Bowser was ready to have Bowser Motorsport fine tune the car as soon as they had arrived at the Nürburgring.

Right now, they were preparing to leave for Germany to modify the car as soon as possible.

"Are the other team members going there as well, papa?"

"You got it!" Bowser punched a fist into the air. "We'll build the ultimate racing machine as soon as possible. I've already sent for the other team members to meet us at the Nürburgring too."

Before Bowser Jr. could speak, Bowser continued to talk.

"Speaking of, do you have the right parts to modify the car? We'll need a good engine, suspension, brakes, etcetera, etcetera…"

Jr.'s face lit up with a big smile. "Guess what, papa? I've heard that there's an extremely powerful engine out in the Mushroom Kingdom! It's supposed to be under the supervision of Gadd Sciences…"

"Gadd Science?" Bowser said skeptically. "Can anything good come out of that place?! I've only heard of ridiculous inventions like ghost sucking vacuums and weapons of little destruction."

"Don't forget!" Bowser Jr. reminded. "His industry invented the F.L.U.D.D. nozzle too! It's too bad that most of the stuff they make is prototypes."

Bowser smacked his head. "Hey. Why bring Gadd Science into the subject anyway?"

Bowser Jr. took his computer to show his father the prototype hybrid engine that Gadd Science Inc. had posted on the website. Fortunately for Bowser, the website also included details of the engine as well as the statistics on power and displacement too.

The engine was extremely compact, as the screen data included scale to size as well. It was then Bowser had a keen but monstrous idea.

"I'm thinking… this engine could be the answer to all our problems! We could survive the race maintaining fuel efficiency – and we won't need a lot of pit stops either!"

Jr. shook his head. "But what if we need a strategy to complete the race?! Certainly an engine like that won't survive on its own for twenty four hours! Gadd Science says it's a prototype too!"

Bowser pushed him outside to the entrance doors. "We'll talk strategy when the car's actually there. Come on, this will solve us a whole bunch of problems not to mention a lot of time when we're there! Plus, the race isn't far off from now! Just go steal that engine, and then we'll take it to Germany. Above all, don't cause any disturbances. This is a stealth mission."

Bowser Jr. nodded half-motivated and half-resented, and walked outside to begin a trip to the Gadd Science Incorporated laboratory.

**Gadd Science Incorporated Laboratory: 1:32 AM**

**15 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

The doors of the laboratory were, to no surprise, closed. However, Bowser Jr. had plenty of experience in this sort of work. Instead, he decided to climb the building's outer wall to gain access to the rooftop.

As he expected, there were ventilation ducts on the top. Bowser Jr. breathed a flame into the wire grille, and half the contraption was molten… down into the bottom. He climbed himself into the vent and began his infiltration on the Gadd Science lab.

To Bowser Jr.'s surprise, the security system in the lab was down for maintenance, and that the only means of security was just a surveillance robot patrolling the lab's exterior; much to Bowser Jr.'s convenience.

The file he uploaded on the computer however didn't reveal details of the hybrid engine's whereabouts. But the one clue that he could scrape was the background on the engine's picture, which was a metallic blue wall. So Bowser Jr. began to make his search for that room.

_This place is poorly guarded,_ Bowser Jr. thought. _There must be a catch._

But there wasn't, and within an hour…

**Gadd Science Laboratory: 2:15 AM**

He walked through the dark hallways and investigating each room he passed. To Bowser Jr., each room only had unidentifiable inventions of Gadd Science and charts, plans… lots of stuff.

However, of all rooms that he searched, the room he was looking turned out to be in the basement floor. It was just a coincidence that he came across a map of the lab, and he chose to take a look at what the basement floor might behold.

"If nothing else," Bowser Jr. said to himself. "I might as well search a different lab."

He pushed open a nearby door and soon found himself in a metallic blue room with a glass ceiling. He squirmed to look into the dark room.

Suddenly, a bright light shined from the ceiling and beamed down onto a circular table in the middle of the room; sitting neatly on that table was a –


	11. BMW Motorsport: The Gathering

**A credit goes to AdmiralBobbery for keeping track of this story, and also brownie points(?), probably.**

* * *

_**Chapter eleven**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:01 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

"Come on, Luigi! You know he doesn't like to be late!" Daisy said happily.

"I wish I could say the same," Luigi shot back. "Besides, who said that Michael doesn't like to be late anyway? The meeting hasn't even started yet!"

Daisy had personally driven to Luigi's house for the sake that he could drive her to the BMW dealership and Michael Fong's office. But since Luigi wasn't awake yet, Daisy repeatedly knocked on his door until he awoke. It was only when Daisy reminded Luigi that that was the day of the meeting did Luigi rush to Daisy's kart. But nevertheless, Daisy pleaded Luigi that he would drive her to the BMW dealership, and he complied.

Now, her kart was parked in the BMW parking lot, and they got out passing through the doors of the modern building to the receptionists.

"Hello and good morning, welcome to BMW!" greeted one receptionist. "How can we help you today? Or is there something else you need to do?"

"You got it!" Daisy said before Luigi could. "We've got some sort of meeting with Mr. Fong. Could you tell us where to find him, please?"

The receptionist's eyes widened. "_Right_, you're part of our motor sport racing team! I should have known. He's down at that end of the dealership."

She pointed to the other side of the dealership behind her to her right. "Just go over there to that open space and turn left once you get there. There's a conference room at that point so I'm pretty sure you can't miss it."

"Thank you," Daisy said. "Come on, Luigi!"

She grabbed his hand and together they walked past the BMWs on display – some of them luxury cars with individual model numbers ranging from 3, 5, and 7, while others were SUVs each carrying the same letter 'X'.

"I just hope the Z4 we're driving is as good as Michael says it is," Luigi said, walking and quickly examining several BMW models. "Still, at least it has a good reputation."

Daisy grinned. "I'm pretty sure that he'll explain what the car looks like today. After all, we're going to a meeting, right?"

Luigi nodded, and he and Daisy later found themselves at the front of a large carbon black door. What Luigi simply did was knock, and they patiently waited for someone to open it.

No more than ten seconds had passed when a man in a midnight blue suit came to open the door for them. "Please, come in. Mr. Fong has been expecting you," he greeted.

Daisy raised an eye of suspicion. "And how would he know that we would be coming at this very time?"

"Hey, he only said that you would be coming, not at what time," the man raised his hands. "Anyway, the meeting hasn't begun yet, so just wait for the time being."

"Thank you," Luigi said before Daisy could, and ushered her in, which Daisy gratefully accepted.

They found the conference room typically modern, where a glossy black table was laid out in the middle complete with white leather chairs. Sitting across from them was, as expected, BMW Motorsport general manager Michael Fong.

"Don't worry," Michael greeted. "You're not late, nor has anyone arrived, anyway. So rest assured."

He pushed his glasses up and waved to the man in the suit. "If anyone else wants to come in, make sure that they're part of this team. Please?"

"You got it, Mr. Fong."

As the door closed Luigi went up to Michael and shook his hand, followed by Daisy, and then they took seats. Daisy was smart; she simply waited for Luigi to sit down, and she would take the seat right next to him.

"The meeting hasn't officially started," Michael said. "And it looks like the others haven't arrived yet. So we'll give them some time, okay? I promise you that they'll be quite familiar."

Before Luigi or Daisy could speak, the door opened again and in came –

"Rosalina?!"

"Torque?!"

"Oh, hello Daisy," came the soothing tone of Rosalina. "My. You're part of Team BMW Motorsport too?"

"I was about to say the same thing to you!" Daisy said happily. "How did _you_ end up here? Still, we're going to be teammates! I'm excited!"

While Daisy was speaking enthusiastically to her extremely calm friend, Luigi made his remarks to Torque and Michael.

"So you're still manufacturing karts at Circuit Break?" Luigi said.

Torque nodded, flashing his wrench. "I figure the Special Cup Tour gave us our big break for karts. But now… the 24 hour race seems to have caught my interest."

Michael nodded, speaking to Luigi, "Torque is positioned as one of our top mechanics for Team BMW Motorsport. He _is_ the elite, so I'm told; his skills will be invaluable."

Now to Torque, Michael introduced, "Luigi will be one of our drivers of the team, but I'm counting on you to fix the car as efficiently as possible should something happen, right?"

"Still," Michael continued, speaking to both of them. "We'll get to the details when everyone's arrived. I hope things will go as planned."

Luigi smiled and sat back down, Torque climbed himself to another leather seat and waited. Rosalina, after a somewhat lengthily conversation with Daisy, took the seat next to Michael to ask details for who else was on the team, and Michael kindly refused.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said, and Rosalina reclined and waited.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:30 AM**

Just under half an hour later, the door opened again to reveal yet another two visitors: and this time it was a Toad and a Koopa.

"Hey, Mr. Fong! It's Koops," said the Koopa. "Listen… the other Koopas couldn't make it. So I'm here on their behalf."

"The same goes for me," said Toad.

Michael for a while gave some thought into this, and decided that it was a reasonable excuse. "Alright, just make sure to report back to them about this meeting today. It's something they really shouldn't have missed."

Without need for words, he waved to one of his assistants to give them a pen and paper, and later the wheel gun carriers walked into the room. This was a slight surprise for Luigi, as many of them were ones around the Mushroom Kingdom he already knew.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:32 AM**

Barely two minutes after the arrival of the wheel gun carriers: the man at the door opened it again to let in a threesome of Yoshi and Birdo. Michael gave a friendly wave and smile and gestured them to take their seats.

"Okay, everyone, this is our fourth and last driver: Yoshi! And here, an honourable mention: to Birdo, our wheel gun leader. Over here beside Yoshi is – Boshi, our jack!"

An indistinct murmur of approval swirled through the room.

"First Rosalina, then _Koops_, and now Yoshi!" Luigi said to Daisy. "To think Michael wanted members from the Mushroom Kingdom, but I didn't think he meant our friends!"

Daisy laughed. "The Special Cup Tour, remember? It must have influenced Michael's decision to pick us and everyone else here to join this team."

Luigi had to agree, as that was specified in his letter, but that still allowed a seed of doubt.

"But wait," he said to her. "If he wanted to pick drivers with good reputation, why didn't he pick someone like my brother?"

Daisy took his hand and gently patted it. "Relax, I'm sure that Michael would have some reason not to pick him, or maybe he already did. Still, let's wait, okay?"

Luigi used his free hand to take off his hat and place it on the table. "Okay, let's wait," he said, and with his other hand – well – he let Daisy have a grip on it. They watched Yoshi take the seat beside Luigi.

The meeting continued with the unexpected introduction of Donkey Kong, which brought further surprise to both Luigi and Daisy. Additionally, this was followed by E. Gadd; who looked distraught.

"Professor Gadd," Michael welcomed. "Nice of you to join our meeting today, I'm glad you made it."

"Say, Professor Gadd," Luigi spoke up. "What's with the face?"

"That may be, Luigi," E. Gadd answered simply. "One of the inventions, a prototype, at Gadd Science has been raided and stolen. To _think_ I was going to debut it in a week."

He nodded to Michael, and took a seat. Michael on the other hand said, "I'm thinking of doing our introductions, so our meeting won't officially start until we're all here. I'm thinking… at 10:45, we'll begin. Is that alright with everyone?"

The people gathered in the room responded with nods or "Mm-hm" sounds, and Michael nodded back in response. Donkey Kong decided not to sit on a chair, and instead remained on the floor, which Michael had no objection to.

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:36 AM**

The door was opened once again by the man in the suit, and this time two smaller figures walked in, compared to Donkey Kong. One was the local-known Toadsworth, and the other was a purple star with glasses and a moustache.

"A-hem! Hello, Luigi!" said Toadsworth. "You're –"

"– with Team BMW Motorsport too?" Luigi finished for him. "I was about to say the same thing to you, Toadsworth."

"I _thought_ that you two would have met already," Michael said with a smile. "Please, take a seat."

Skolar had already floated towards a vacant seat near Donkey Kong, but Toadsworth with his walking stick had to take his time to get to a seat. After a minute or two, Toadsworth was able to sit down and look at the other members of Team BMW Motorsport.

Michael, on the other hand, began to address the entire meeting.

"Welcome, everyone, to Team BMW Motorsport. I'm Michael Fong, the general manager of the team," he started. "Now, I'm pretty sure that all of you here are most familiar with each other, but I'll go straight to introductions, anyway."

"Mr. Fong," Torque spoke up. "There are still a few empty seats left. Should we wait for them? Or is this the entire team right here?"

Michael's eyes widened. "Oh, right! I've still got one more member of this team to wait for!"

But at that moment the door was knocked on again, and the man in the midnight blue suit walked over to open it.

"Sorry I'm late," said the figure at the door.


	12. The Crew's Chief

**Very sorry I haven't uploaded for a while! I've just been extremely lazy going to FanFiction these days...**

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_**Chapter twelve**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 10:37 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

Apart from Michael Fong, the entire room stared at the mystery member in complete surprise (and to Michael, it was no surprise that the room was surprised). He was a plump man sporting blue overalls and red hat with the letter 'M'. There was no doubt as to who it was.

"MARIO?!" the entire room shouted.

"Yeah, you got it," Mario said to the uncomfortable astonishment.

Before anyone else could say a word, Daisy shouted in a manner of confusion. "Mr. Fong! I thought you said that you have all the drivers we need! Why then, did you invite Mario to drive for this team?!"

Michael laughed and shook his head. "You've got it all wrong, Daisy. Who said that Mario was driving? Think about it."

Daisy wanted to speak, but no words came out. To silence her further, Luigi put a hand on her shoulder for some means of comfort. Finally, she relaxed, which allowed Mario to take his seat and for Michael to continue.

"Okay now, I can confidently say that this meeting has officially begun. Welcome, everyone, to BMW Motorsport! May I go through the introductions? It's more of my thing to make sure who everyone here is dealing and working with."

"First of all," Michael started, directing this to Mario. "I'd like to introduce our drivers of this team: Luigi, Daisy, Rosalina, and Yoshi –"

But Michael was cut off by a round of polite applause, and he joined in with them. After the applause died down, he went straight to the point as to what they were to do.

"Now, this is pretty obvious as you're all familiar with the Special Cup Tour; the role of the driver in the 24 hour race is to – well – drive. Of course, it is impossible for one to stay up for such a long time, and consequently you each will be taking turns at the wheel when the car arrives. Oh! Speaking of…"

A projection screen rolled down behind him, and Michael got up to direct everyone's undivided attention to it. The lights dimmed, and a light shone onto the screen and showed a BMW Z4.

"This is the stock car BMW Z4 E89. As of now, our entrant team Schubert Motorsport has taken delivery of the race-spec version of this car. The BMW Motorsoprt division have gladly taken delivery of it and modified it into this…"

The image changed and showed a more rigid Z4 complete with a rear spoiler and aerodynamic parts, including an expanded width of the chassis which made the car even more aggressive looking.

"Schubert Motorsport will enter the 24 hour race with this car, and since BMW is factory backing this team with _two_ Z4s and with BMW works support; we enter altogether under the name of Team BMW Motorsport or, officially on the Nürburgring grid, BMW Team Schubert. These two cars are the ones we as a team are trying to keep alive for 24 hours, with the exception of our present drivers working with only one. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the BMW Z4 GT3, which BMW Motorsport has engineered in compliance with FIA GT3 regulations."

"Now, as you might have noticed," Michael said, aware everyone was beginning to raise questions. "There are two Z4 GT3s. Who would end up driving the other one? Well, I've enlisted the help of veteran BMW drivers and _above all_, **these guys are your teammates**."

The next photo showed a single photo of four men, dressed in BMW racing suits.

"The one on the left is Augusto Farfus, a Brazilian. The two on the right are the Germans Uwe Alzen and Dirk Müller, and finally the one in the middle; also a German is Jörg Müller who's accounted for numerous wins for BMW. They will be operating the other Z4 GT3. It is _your_ job, pit crew, to keep this other car up and running."

"Just a minute, Mr. Fong," Mario raised a hand. "How is it that only _we_ have to keep these cars alive? Surely… we're short on manpower to fix the car at once."

"That is why," Michael replied. "We have actually BMW mechanics and engineers at our disposal to keep the BMW Z4 GT3 on the track. YOUR role, Mario, as a crew chief is to keep the pit stop in check and to guide what is needed whilst communicating with the pit crew what to do, not to mention you need to guide the drivers as much as necessary."

He gestured to Koops, Toad, Birdo, Boshi, and Donkey Kong, addressing them all at once. "Under the order of Mario, you need to cooperate effectively as a team to do the pit stop properly. When the Z4 GT3 enters the pit stop and if, and ONLY IF, Mario orders a refuel: you, Donkey Kong, must wait under the engine has switched off for safety reasons, got it?"

He nodded.

The next image on the screen showed a video, Michael said, "I don't want to explain too much in words as to what the pit stop looks like so… Donkey Kong: don't fuel the car until the engine has been switched off. Fuel if, and only IF, Mario tells you to, alright? Koops, Birdo, Boshi, and Toad… you need to see this. This is just a video about replacing tires, so don't fret, okay? DK?"

Donkey Kong gave a thumbs-up. Boshi and the rest of the pit crew turned their attention to the video.

"Forgive me," Michael said. "This is footage taken with a different car."

The viewpoint showed a first-person view of a BMW member holding a wheel gun. A BMW M3 DTM arrived, stopped, and the wheel gun was put into action immediately to take out the wheel. The wheel gun man handed it to someone else and was used the wheel gun again within the second, and the M3 DTIM was powering back on the track. The video lasted 7 seconds.

The next video showed another BMW member with a wheel in his hands. The M3 DTM arrived, wheel gun used, and wheel was put in place. Again, it lasted 7 seconds.

The next video showed a third BMW member with nothing in his hands. The M3 DTM's wheel was taken out by the wheel gun man and handed over to him. The video lasted only 6 seconds.

The fourth and last video showed one holding some sort of air tube. The M3 DTM arrived and came to a stop, the air tube was placed on the chassis right on the bumper of the DTM and the car was raised. 7 seconds later, the jack came out and the car was raised down, powering back onto the track.

"A flawless pit stop," Michael remarked. "These are the roles of our pit crew here when we do a short tire change. However, we're going to do it a bit differently since this is a 24 hour race. If you get tired, don't worry. We have BMW Motorsport members to back us up too."

"Skolar, Toadsworth," he continued. "We need your intelligence about organisation and cars in order to successfully complete a repair should anything happen. Aside from that, you need to retain use of laptops and monitor with Mario everything on the Z4 GT3. Additionally, you'll need to keep an eye on the weather too; making minute-by-minute updates."

Skolar made a sound of approval, and Toadsworth followed.

"As for you, Torque and Professor Gadd, you're tasked with leading and performing repairs on the Z4 GT3. You'll lead other mechanics on permanent standby to make sure the Z4 is in top shape. Even if the repair takes an hour, there's always a chance to win back a position."

Michael gave a breath of exhaustion and fell back onto his leather chair, waiting to see if everyone caught his message.

"Mr. Fong," Torque said to break the silence. "With the amount of workforce we've got, we'll all ensure the car will be up and running."

"Glad to hear it," Michael said. "We'll have practice sessions when we get to the Nürburgring."


	13. Strength Not in Numbers

_**Chapter thirteen**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 11:22 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race**

As the meeting continued with the appearance of Mario, Michael switched, using a palm-sized remote, to another image and this showed another Z4 GT3, but this time it was completely decorated in the brand colours of BMW M.

"Even though it is Schubert who is working with the car," Michael explained. "Like I've told you before, this car is factory backed by BMW, and altogether entering as BMW Team Schubert. BMW has sponsored the car with its brand colours as you can clearly see…"

On the front the BMW Z4 GT3 had the M tricolour of teal blue, dark blue, and red. On the doors was the official /M logo of BMW Motorsport, and on the rear spoiler were the words of the website . Aside from all the sponsors from Dunlop, Castrol EDGE, PUMA, H&R, and many more in small print; on the Z4 GT3's bonnet was the logo of one of BMW's premium partners: **CROWNE PLAZA HOTELS AND RESORTS**.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Michael said to the awestruck group. "As you can see, we need to work all we can to the Z4 GT3s alive on the track. The Z4 GT3 is a car placed in the SP9 GT3 class, the most competitive class in the entire race. If we have the skills to take it for 24 hours, we just might be able to take a podium finish. Are you up to it?"

Birdo raised a hand, and Michael motioned for response.

She spoke in a tone which he could not understand, and Michael looked nervously at everyone's faces hoping that someone would relay the message back to him.

It was Mario who spoke, "Birdo would be interested to know what kind of teams we're up against. We just can't underestimate them, right?"

Michael gave this some thought, and responded, "Our rival Audi, also in the SP9 GT3 class, would typically deploy at least six factory backed R8s to participate in the race, I'm sure. I have no doubt Porsche, again in the SP9 GT3 class, would give at least four, being the dominant manufacturer in the Nürburgring…"

"And how many cars are BMW going to enter?" Luigi spoke up. "I mean on the actual company's behalf."

There was a moment of silence, and Michael said, "As far as I'm concerned with BMW Team Schubert, I guess I should tell you that a couple other teams called Vita4One Racing and Marc VDS Racing are entering one BMW Z4 GT3, yes there're in the SP9 GT3 class," he added, seeing the look on everyone's faces.

"The Z4 GT3 is a reliable car to say the least," Michael continued. "And BMW is going to give works support as well to this car. So Schubert cars, Vita4One, Marc VDS… two plus two… four cars."

Donkey Kong slammed a fist into the ground, and this was followed by a roar of pandemonium.

"Preposterous!" Rosalina shouted.

"Outnumbered six to four?! What are you thinking, Mr. Fong?" E. Gadd shouted as well.

The uproar continued for many more minutes, and even Daisy and Luigi joined in. The only ones who were in silence were Rosalina, Skolar, and, in particular, Torque.

For an extra ten minutes, the room was rambled in shouts and complaints, and finally Torque stepped up to the table.

"Okay, I know that you're all familiar with the 'strength in numbers' quote. But hey! Mario and Luigi managed to defeat hoards of Goombas on their travels on their own," he said. "In the same way, aren't three cars enough to tackle this 24 hour race?"

Michael nodded. "The Z4 GT3 is a painstakingly manufactured package of power. As long as we have the skills of the drivers combined with the strength of the pit crew, we'll survive the race. Besides! Although there are a lot of cars in the SP9 GT3 class, even if we don't take first overall, at least we'll have a worthwhile fight against rivals. _Remember, our four drivers here will be operating just one of the cars. Our other drivers in the same team, headed by Jörg Müller, will drive the other,_" he emphasised.

"Furthermore, I'm pretty sure our rivals would enter their cars for the sake of winning the other classes, and neither Audi nor Porsche would dare to attempt the E1-XP2 class because they wouldn't go for the class's regulations, and ever since the withdrawal of the BMW M3 GT we from BMW haven't entered in the E1-XP2 class either. As far as I know, the only other teams competing in the E1-XP2 class are the Scuderia Cameron Ferrari and Manthey Racing Porsche (although I admit Manthey Racing does other classes too), and even our two Z4 GT3s might be too good for it."

He looked at everyone to make sure they understood, and asked. "Are there any more questions?"

"I do," said Daisy. "Do you mind if you tell us who's piloting the Vita4One Z4 GT3? And do we have to support that car as well?"

Michael took out his roster files from the bigger database. "Let's see… we've got Pedro Lamy, Dirk Werner, Dirk Adorf, and Andy Priaulx at the wheel. No, we won't need to give them a hand even though they're from BMW. The point is, they're entering as BMW Team Vita4One and they're from a different team. But don't worry; another division of BMW Motorsport will support them."

_So we've got three teams from BMW, two which are entering just one Z4,_ Luigi thought. _And we're participating with and helping only one. Fair enough, with all the preparation they have to do._


	14. Gifts: Suiting Up

**I've been too busy lately to even upload. Still, it's good.**

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_**Chapter fourteen**_

**Lower Mushroom Kingdom: 11:52 AM**

**14 Days before the 24 Hour Race: the same day…**

"And now that we're done here, and that we all understand what to do now, I have one last gift for all of you," Michael said, as he knocked on the table.

The door opened (courtesy of the man in the midnight-blue suit of course) and in walked another three men each holding a metal briefcase. They brought them to the table, opened it, and Michael took a neatly folded article of clothing from one of the briefcases. He then got up and showed it off to everyone.

"This, here, is the official BMW Motorsport racing suit. It is absolutely mandatory that you wear it on the day of the race, and needless to say every day you do anything with BMW. I hereby gift this suit to our drivers."

It was a suit that had the colour white as a base with the BMW logo on the left chest, and the Crowne Plaza logo on the right. Additionally, the length of the shoulder to elbow was decorated with small sponsors including Castrol and Dunlop. The M tricolour covered a thin section from both sides of the waist, and on legs the words BMW M were produced there too. The sponsor logo **CROWNE PLAZA **was printed on the left side of the chest and the BMW logo on the right. Finally the words of** BMW Motorsport** and a subtitle reading **powered by /M** were printed in black on the back, starting from several centimetres below the neck.

Michael then took out a second suit, much similar to the driver's.

"Here is the suit worn by the hands-on pit crew. Koops, Toad, your friends need to know this."

It was much similar to the driver's suit as it was white, except printed on the back were not the words BMW Motorsport but **BMW Team Schubert**. All the same, the M tricolour decorated the sides, sponsors on the arms, the Crowne Plaza and BMW logos were on their respectable places on the chest.

"As for Mario and Toadsworth…" Michael said. "Here is a special suit worn by the crew chief, the engineers, and the rest of the intelligence crew at the pit stop."

As he folded and placed the white racing suits back into its briefcase and was handed a dark blue jacket by one of the men.

"This is what you guys will be wearing along with the other BMW engineers. It pretty much sets you apart from the physical workers and the mind workers, eh? Remember to wear it on the race too. "

Along with the dark blue jacket was a set of dark blue sweatpants, also with the words** BMW Motorsport** on it. As for the jacket itself, the sponsors on the arms were less excessive than that of the racing suit (simply Castrol). The words** BMW Motorsport** were on the back, this time in white, and printed in white on the right chest were the words** BMW Team Schubert**.

"Take it, and I should tell all of you that our flight to Germany is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:30 in the afternoon. I hope this won't interfere with your schedules."

"Never!" everyone said, and Michael was gratified.

The white BMW racing suits were beginning to be distributed by BMW assistants to the room. Luigi and Daisy were one of the first to receive theirs, and following them was Rosalina and Yoshi with similar sizes. The next to receive the white suits were Birdo, Boshi, and a ridiculously large sized suit for Donkey Kong; Daisy assumed that it was specially made.

Eight smaller white suits in sets of two were handed over to Koops and Toad, to answer everyone's puzzling looks, Michael said, "Hand these over to your friends, and don't forget to remind them of the time of departure."

"Mr. Fong," Toadsworth spoke up. "Where should we meet up, anyway? You never told us _where_ we to meet."

"You're all to meet me at the main terminal at Mushroom Kingdom Global Airport by 12:30 at the latest, so come over there between 12:00 and 12:30 if you can. The BMW Motorsport crew will be waiting for all of you to arrive as well," he responded.

The assistants finished with the white racing suits by giving the remaining smaller two to Torque and E. Gadd and were now handing the dark blue BMW Team Schubert jackets first to Skolar and Toadsworth, and then a third to Mario.

"That is all," Michael concluded. "Yes, Mario?"

Mario put his hand down. "How do I communicate with all the guys at once? It's not like I have a megaphone."

"You'll learn soon enough when we get to the Nürburgring," he simply said. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Mario was not the only one to shout, "Yes!" and that was all Michael needed to know. It was by this response that he knew the group was all fired up for the 24 hour race.

"Very well! Remember; tomorrow at the airport at 12:30! Pack what you need for the trip; it's going to be a quite a stay at Germany."

Everyone got up to shake hands with Michael, the first was done by Rosalina, and the next was Koops and Torque. Luigi and Daisy couldn't wait for their turn before leaving the room with their brand new BMW racing suits.


End file.
